Crimson Carries Unbeaten Ivy League Record into HYP Meet

The Particulars:
In the final action of the regular season, the Harvard men’s
swimming and diving team travels to Princeton, N.J., for the annual
HYP meet against Ivy League rivals Yale and Princeton. Harvard
boasts a 6-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in Ivy League action,
while Princeton is 4-0 overall and in league meets. Yale, meanwhile
owns a 1-3 Ivy League mark and stands at 3-4 overall. The meet,
held at Princeton’s DeNunzio Pool, begins Friday at 6 p.m.
and concludes Saturday, with action getting underway at noon.
Harvard, Yale or Princeton have won every Ivy League title since
the 1988 season.

Last Time Out:
The Crimson, which is receiving 13 votes in the latest CSCAA
national poll, posted a 13-victory effort in a 201-99 win against
Boston University at Blodgett Pool Jan. 23. Four Harvard team
members won two events, including Niall Janney (200 butterfly, 400
IM), Robert Newell (100 and 200 backstroke), Mason Brunnick (200
and 500 freestyle) and Zac Ranta (one – and three-meter
diving). A day earlier, Harvard outlasted Brown, 127-116, at
Blodgett Pool.

Scouting The Crimson:
Harvard has successfully defeated each of its five Ivy League
opponents so far this season. The Crimson opened the year by
sweeping Cornell, 177-123, and Dartmouth, 237-63, Nov. 14, in a
tri-meet in Ithaca, N.Y. A week later, Harvard topped Columbia,
167-133, Nov. 20, and then returned from the holiday break by
downing Penn, 183-117, Jan. 9. In other action this season, Harvard
finished fourth at the prestigious Georgia Invitational Dec. 6, and
fell to Texas A&M in the season opener, 131.5-102.5. Most
recently, the Crimson won 13 of 16 events to breeze past Boston
University, 201-99.

Scouting The Tigers:
Princeton, which is receiving 28 votes in the latest CSCAA
national rankings, has competed against four opponents this season,
winning each meet. The Tigers opened the year with victories over
Cornel, 191-104, and Penn, 193-102, at DeNunzio Pool Nov. 20. The
team then defeated Brown, 224-91, Dec. 6 and most recently traveled
to Dartmouth and won, 181-119, Jan. 24. Against the Big Green,
Colin Cordes, Will Lawley and Jon Hartmann finished 1-2-3 in the
500 freestyle, while Hartmann, Cordes and Lawley also placed with
the top three times in the 50 free.

Scouting The Bulldogs:
Yale is coming off a close, 152-142, loss at home to Navy Jan. 23.
The Bulldogs had won three of their last five meets entering the
dual with the Midshipmen. Yale topped Southern Connecticut,
178-120, Nov. 23, Massachusetts, 193-107, Dec. 5 and Dartmouth,
234.5-65.5, Jan. 16. In other Ivy League action, Columbia edged
Yale, 151-149, in the opener Nov. 14, and the Bulldogs fell to
Cornell, 169-131, Jan. 10, and dropped a meet to Penn, 170-130,
Jan. 16. Three of Yale’s divers – Drew Teer, Colton
Staab and Eric Olson – qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving
Championships in March.

30 And Counting For 2010:
The Harvard senior class of 2010 has contributed to 30 dual meet
wins for the Crimson, including a 9-0 undefeated season in 2007-08
and a 6-1 mark this winter.

Open Water Title:
Senior co-captain Alex Meyer of the Harvard men's swimming &
diving team claimed victory in the one-mile race at the St. Croix
Dolphins Sea Swim, held in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this
month. Meyer completed the warm-water race in 19:53 to win the
open-water competition. Harvard teammates Blake Lewkowitz, a
junior, and Mason Brunnick, a senior, placed second and third in
the race, respectively, with times of 20:06 and 20:09.

Up Next For The Crimson:
Harvard will have more than a month break before traveling to
Pittsburgh, Pa., for the ECAC Championships Feb. 26-28. The
three-day meet will be held at Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.